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Shetland Fishermen’s Association

Simon Collins: Brexit brings the chance to end 40 years of damage to our fishing communities

Simon Collins: Brexit brings the chance to end 40 years of damage to our fishing communities 12 Jun

Oddly enough, the general election has given all of us focusing on Brexit a chance to breathe and look around. With government ministers out of their offices and knocking on doors, and the press swarming from one issue to the next in no particular order, we can take stock for once and see just how far we have come over the past 11 months.

Brexit has yet to be signed and sealed, of course, and having been sold down the metaphorical river before, the fishing industry needs no reminding that its hopes could be dashed at the eleventh hour. But at least there is hope, and that in itself represents a dramatic change from the previous 40 years.

Up until the Brexit vote, the industry was fighting simply to minimise damage. The idea of actually moving forward, even by a millimetre, would have been absurd.